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Rainy day activities; Painting

Keeping my little one busy on a rainy day is hard work because he always has so much energy! He is constantly on the go and I feel like he never stops, so when I find an activity he likes, I love to let him have free reign of it. Painting is something that Leon just adores, he loves to mix colours and smother his paper in it (and his face!) The look of excitement on his face when he tells me he painted a cat or a ball just melts my heart. I love giving him complete creative control, seeing him blossom with his creativity is something I never knew that would make me so proud; but it does.

When Leon is painting he seems to zone out from the world around him, he likes to do his own thing and is extremely quiet until he has finished a painting. When he is finished he will tell me what he has painted, in the picture above he painted a "Dog" for Grant. The boy knows what's going on in his mind and his imagination is great. I think he just loves to be mixing the colours and putting onto paper right now and he really thinks that what he has painted is in fact, a dog. And it is! Of course it is, because if he tells me that's a dog then it damn well is a dog, the best dog I have ever seen!

It's like a world of wonder and excitement when Leon paints because he mumbles away at points, when he's mixing colours it's like he's telling himself what to do. I am just happy my child wants to create and use his imagination. I love being a part of that, I love that he wants me to sit with him and watch what he is doing, he likes to tell me everything when he's done and he is just getting so good and understanding that we don't throw paint on the floor, that we don't put our paintings on the chair when we are done; he now hands me his painting to hang up and dry whilst he carries on what he is doing. I really am over the moon with how far he is coming on right now in regards to listening and being able to do what he is told. He understands now that we can have fun with paints and be somewhat messy without throwing paint or having a melt down because I won't let him drink it.

I really do feel that letting your little one explore their creativity is essential to their development. Not only does it help with his cognitive development it also helps with physical development, emotional development, imagination, experimentation and more! I always remember learning about how creative play helps a child develop when I was studying childcare and I never really knew just how much it has to offer until I had my own child and watched him blossom through this. With this activity I let Leon paint what he wants to, I let him mix as many colours as he likes and if he wants to paint his face, I let him do that too! He loves it; I just make sure that he knows not to eat it, throw it or try and paint anyone or anything else because that's not a good idea.

Painting is defiantly one of my favourite activities to participate in with Leon, he just loves it and really shines whilst he is engaging in it, I can see how much he enjoys it and that's all I need. As long as he enjoys painting is all that matters to me.

What activities do you like to do with your little ones? Are there any you don't particularly like?

Oh my kids used to have that paint palette - your photos took me straight back to when they were little! Painting is a fab activity for kids to express themselves - such a joyful activity. My kids still love it and still love making a mess :)

I totally relate to the whole thing of argh! What do you do on a rainy day but oh the mess of paint! Tip for when your little one is a bit older - check out The Rainy Day box which is a life saver hon xx

Hello & Welcome to The Life of A Glasgow Girl!
I'm Jordanne, just a simple Scottish gal who loves a good chin wag, cuppa tea and cats.
Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoy roaming my blog, seeing an insight into my life of a mamma bear who's just stumbling through life, trying her hand at film making.